Author: Robert Richardson

Breaking up in old age can be costly, especially for women.The rate of “gray divorce” — a term that describes divorce at age 50 and older — doubled from 1990 to 2019, according to a 2022 study published in The Journals of Gerontology. It tripled for adults over age 65.In 1970, about 8% of Americans who divorced were age 50 and older. By 2019, that share had jumped to an “astounding” 36%, the study found.About 1 in 10 people — 9% — who divorced in 2019 were at least 65 years old.Meanwhile, rates of divorce have declined among younger adults, according to Susan Brown and I-Fen Lin, sociology professors at Bowling Green State University who authored the analysis.The ‘chronic economic strain’ of gray divorceIn heterosexual relationships, gray divorce typically “has more negative implications for women than for men,” said Kamila Elliott, a certified financial planner and co-founder of Collective Wealth Partners, based in Atlanta.Studies suggest women’s household income generally drops between 23% and 40% in the year after a divorce.The economic effects are “less severe” for men, with some studies showing their income may even rise after a breakup, according to Laura Tach and Alicia Eads, sociology professors at Cornell University and the University of Toronto, respectively. The duo have co-authored several papers on the topic.

Source: Why gray divorce is a significant financial risk for women

The European Union’s nature restoration law, which had set out to restore 20% of land and sea areas in the EU by 2030, has now been postponed indefinitely after a vote to pass the bill on Monday was canceled.The nature restoration law was initially proposed in June 2022 and has spent the last several months going through the legal approval process in the EU. But following protests by farmers and a withdrawal of support from Hungary, the EU canceled the vote. “It seems that we don’t have a qualified majority anymore because… Hungary has changed its vote. We have to understand why they do that,” said Alain Maron, a regional climate minister for Belgium, as reported by The Associated Press.The European Commission had already previously weakened environmental regulations, including the proposed nature restoration law, because of the protests. Laws on sustainable farm practices, such as crop rotation and reduced use of pesticides, have been weakened or scrapped altogether, The Associated Press reported earlier this month.“The agricultural sector is a very important sector, not only in Hungary, but everywhere in Europe,” said Anikó Raisz, Minister of State for Environmental Policy and Circular Economy of Hungary, as reported by Reuters.The decision to cancel the vote to pass the nature restoration law also comes ahead of elections for the European Parliament that are to take place this June.

Source: EU Nature Restoration Plan Postponed Indefinitely – EcoWatch

The conventional language of career success moves in only one direction: up. You scale the career ladder or climb the greasy pole. If you do well, you have a rapid ascent. And if you really succeed, you reach the top. No one ever rings home to share the news that they have reached a plateau. But there is another type of career trajectory. Sideways moves, to jobs that don’t involve a promotion or even necessarily a pay rise, can be a boon to employees and organisations alike.A study carried out by Donald Sull of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his co-authors in 2021 found that the availability of lateral career opportunities has a marked impact on employee retention. Their research found that chances to move sideways were two and a half times more important than pay as a predictor of workers’ willingness to stay at a firm. Another paper, by Xin Jin of the University of South Florida and Michael Waldman of Cornell University, concluded that lateral moves did not just benefit organisations: employees who experienced them were more likely to be promoted and to enjoy higher wage growth later in their careers than employees who did not. You can move up by first moving sideways.

Source: The secret to career success may well be off to the side

Women continue to face barriers in entrepreneurship, with only 17 per cent of small and medium-sized businesses being owned by women in Canada.To address this issue, the Canadian government has introduced the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy. This strategy seeks to address the gender gap and biases in the Canadian venture capital system.However, our understanding of the challenges women face in the startup ecosystem is limited. Past research has focused on overt negative sexist attitudes that question women’s competence and suitability for entrepreneurship.This view overlooks the existence of more subtle, yet pervasive and socially acceptable, sexist attitudes that often go unnoticed. Given the sheer number of people interested or working in startups today, from investors to suppliers to job applicants, the effects of these subtle forms of sexism can accumulate across a large and diverse group of decision-makers.For initiatives tackling gender inequality in entrepreneurship to be effective, we must gain a deeper understanding of the effects of these subtle biases faced by women entrepreneurs.Benevolent sexism in entrepreneurshipBenevolent sexism is a form of bias that, on the surface, appears to be positive toward women, but ultimately reinforces gender roles and entrenches inequality.Unlike overtly hostile forms of discrimination, benevolent sexism manifests in seemingly harmless beliefs. This type of sexism often portrays women as delicate or in need of protection, while men are positioned as the providers and protectors.Because benevolent sexism is often expressed in ways that seem positive, it is rarely challenged by either men or women. It can serve to maintain traditional gender dynamics by creating the illusion of support for women while still restricting their autonomy.

Source: ‘Benevolent sexism’ in startups widens the gender gap by advantaging men over women

The World Economic Forum has pronounced that artificial intelligence holds the “transformational potential” to fix our growing climate emergency.AI can tell us how fast icebergs are melting. AI can map disappearing forests. AI can predict weather patterns in drought-stricken parts of Africa. AI can help sort through giant piles of waste materials and mine bits for recycling. AI can help companies trace, track and reduce their emissions by 20 per cent. AI can predict climate events such as floods, fires, hurricanes and other natural calamities so the global economy can continue on schedule.And here’s the kicker. A “wish list of datasets,” assures the WEF, will eventually materialize “to advance global AI solutions for climate change.”

Source: No, AI Won’t Outsmart Our Climate Calamity | The Tyee

This year marks the 54th year of Earth Day! What better way to celebrate than to explore opportunities to join others in helping combat the climate crisis and make our planet cleaner, greener and more sustainable? Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

Source: From Cleanups to Concerts, EcoWatch’s Guide to Earth Day 2024 – EcoWatch

There won’t be any oil and gas drilling rigs off British Columbia’s coast — at least not in the near future.The last of 227 oil and gas exploration permits that once blanketed British Columbia’s coast from the entrance to Juan de Fuca Strait to Alaska over the past 50 years have been relinquished to the federal government.Chevron Canada turned in 23 offshore permits on Feb. 9, reverting ownership to the Crown and leaving “zero permits” off the Pacific coast, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said Wednesday at a news conference about salmon-habitat restoration.In April 2023, Chevron Canada voluntarily relinquished 19 offshore oil and gas permits within protected wildlife areas on B.C.’s west coast. The permitting area surrendered by Chevron last year was estimated at 5,700 square kilometres and overlapped parts of federal marine protection areas off B.C.Wilkinson said Chevron has not been compensated for relinquishing the latest 23 permits, which comprise an estimated 5,900 square kilometres off north Vancouver Island and in Hecate Strait.A provincial moratorium on offshore drilling has been in place since 1989, though it wasn’t considered legally binding.“I think Chevron came to the conclusion there are other places in the world to do this kind of development and this wasn’t the most appropriate place,” Wilkinson said. “We welcome that decision by Chevron. I think most British Columbians are of the view that this is not the most appropriate place to do that kind of development and today we’re saying that will not happen.”Ian Morin, a lawyer for Ecojustice Canada, called Chevron’s decision to relinquish the last of the permits “great news. “It significantly reduces the [environmental] risks that oil and gas drilling can have on the coast, particularly on environmentally significant areas.”Environmental groups were celebrating last March when ExxonMobil gave up offshore oil and gas permits the company had held for more than 50 years.Morin said ExxonMobil had been dropped from a federal court lawsuit filed by the David Suzuki Foundation and World Wildlife Fund in 2022 challenging the federal government’s continual renewal of the permits. The case was settled out of court.The groups’ similar legal challenge against Chevron Canada had remained active, but now will likely be dropped, said Morin.Calgary-based Chevron Canada said in a statement that it regularly evaluates its portfolio and had no plans to pursue development of the offshore permits.It said it’s committed to “safely and responsibly” developing Canada’s onshore and offshore oil and gas resources. “Providing affordable, reliable and ever-cleaner energy is essential to an orderly energy transition that balances energy security, economic prosperity and environmental protection.”Drilling companies have been sporadically searching for gas and oil off the coast since 1949, when minor deposits were found off Graham Island. Shell Canada started a drilling program in 1967, drilling 14 wells from Barkley Sound to Queen Charlotte Sound and Hecate Strait.

Source: All oil and natural gas permits in B.C. waters relinquished – Victoria Times Colonist